as sure as the sun touches the sea
by Ava Chanel
Summary: BBRae Week 2018 prompt compilation. Seven different stories, all starring Raven and Beast Boy, as dictated by the prompt selection made by fans for this year. Cover art drawn and commissioned by the lovely Royxhe from tumblr.
1. can't help falling in love with you

_**Can't Help Falling In Love With You**_

 **Rated: M for adult situations**

* * *

Garfield Logan believed there was a time and a place for everything. Except, time was fickle, and location was as vague as the term itself implied. In his case, a funeral. Of all places, a graveyard. In a strange, macabre way, it seemed fitting for her, but he couldn't shake the feeling of irony surrounding the entire situation.

He saw her easily enough. She was, of course, something he always watched out for in the corner of his eye, and most of the time, he could swear he'd merely just imagined her. His mind liked to play tricks on him — torment and tease him with a whiff of her perfume or a smudge of violet hair in his peripheral vision. However, this time, she was certainly real..

As real as the dark, ominous clouds, and thick, chilling autumn fog rolling in so early in the morning, the sky dressed up to match the gloom and depression surrounding her. He almost smirked; black had always been so becoming on her, and he couldn't help the way his gaze raked her tight form and delicious curves in the high-waisted pencil skirt and matching dark blouse. She had the buttons done up just enough to be modest, but still remain tantalizing with her exposed collarbone and slender neck. Beast Boy felt his throat constrict with a familiar desire, and an impending guilt almost immediately followed it. He was at a _funeral_ , for goodness sake. Still, he licked his lips, and couldn't help stealing glances at her, wondering how her sheer pantyhose would feel beneath his fingertips and what the hollow at the base of her throat tasted like.

And then Garfield spotted _him_. The strange man next to her initially befuddled the changeling as he couldn't place him as a familiar face on the list of potential guests invited to the service. When it finally dawned on him — judging by how bold the strange man was for invading _her_ personal space so flippantly — it was all he could do to contain the possessive growl that rumbled from within his chest. She'd brought a date, because _of course she did_. Cruel gods of fate be damned, of course she'd bring a date, and it was like the universe was mocking his misfortune. As if to further hammer the nail into the coffin, her said date had now possessively placed his hand on the narrow of her back and held it there, his handsome features solemn while he focused on the lush grass beneath his fancy feet, acting as if he cared about the deceased at all. Beast Boy's hands were fists at his sides, and he grit his teeth so hard, he was sure his jaw would snap out of place. Despite knowing that he shouldn't have been so affected by this unpleasant turn of events in the first place, he couldn't help his compulsive reaction.

Theoretically, they'd been over for more than a year now, their on and off fling having apparently cooled off for good during the longest stretch the relationship had ever had. And yet, his blood was still _boiling_.

She looked good, and he wanted her. A goddamn funeral, and he wanted her. Seeing her with _him_ only fueled his desire even more, and he knew that it was his more primitive emotions responsible for that line of thinking, so he tried to ignore it.

If she'd seen him — or felt him at all — Raven would not make it apparent. Instead, she appeared deeply distraught, staring down at the white casket with red-rimmed eyes, unblinking. It was like she'd barely noticed anyone else around her at all. Not even her date, even though his hand continued to slip dangerously low down her back. Beast Boy's nails dug into his palms and he forced himself to look away — to focus on anything else besides her. Like the priest's droning, dreary voice, or Victor's taller, bulkier presence beside him. Even the pregnant, billowy, grey clouds hanging dangerously low overhead that seemed to be threatening a violent future downpour. _Anything but her_.

Been there, done that, he reminded himself. More than once.

But Gods, she looked _so good_. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Every time he tried, his gaze trailed back like it was magnetism, and he would sneak a quick glance before catching himself in the act and forcing himself to look away. He was anxious for her to notice him, too. There was nothing more that he wanted than to catch the familiar glimmer of recognition — and maybe, desire, too — in those stormy amethyst irises when they would land on him. Garfield merely needed a sign. Something — _anything_ — to help spur forward the moment. Permission, from her, irrevocable in those daring eyes. Date or no date. He didn't care. He could deal with that one later, if it meant a moment with her, alone.

"You gonna be okay, B?" It was Victor's deep, baritone voice that drew him out of the trance. A moment later, the sky rumbled and cracked in preparation for the downpour to come.

Beast Boy was then forced to tune back into his surroundings, only to discover that the service was over. People threw flowers over the casket as it was lowered into the ground before taking their leave of the graveyard. Garfield watched as Raven held a single blood red rose in her gloved fingers, and tossed it in before turning on her heel and walking away, head lowered in respect. Her date followed, not unlike an annoying tail, quick to comfort her in this time of sorrow, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close just as a drizzle of rain began to fall.

Victor's mechanical fingers then gripped Garfield's shoulder, squeezing gently and in warning as his human eye studied the shapeshifter carefully. Beast Boy immediately gleaned the cybernetic man's meaning behind the gesture, of course. It didn't take a tech-savvy genius to know that he was never quite okay around _her_. Nonetheless, the changeling straightened up, mustered up his best reassuring smile, and said, "I'll be perfectly fine, Vic."

Cyborg appeared skeptical, his brow raised. "Everyone knows that even the _idea_ of you two in a room together is explosive," he replied.

Beast Boy laughed, but it wasn't genuine. His shoulders shook in a half-hearted shrug. "She brought a date. I can't mess with a date."

Victor snorted. "As if that's stopped _either_ of you before. Poor Bette; she's still a little heartbroken over it, you know."

"Wait — she's not here, too, is she?" Beast Boy panicked, looking around him frantically for a familiar, spry, golden-haired vixen even as people brushed past him to leave.

"No. Chill, dude." Cyborg folded his arms over his chest, fixing his friend with a condescending glare. Then, he sighed, rubbing mechanical digits at his temple. "Just…promise you'll behave yourself, please? I ain't here to babysit your ass."

Beast Boy did a salute — the same one he was used to giving Mento all those years ago. "Scout's honor, sir!" It ought to have unnerved the changeling how good he still was at mimicking it, right down to the tone of voice he used. All this time he'd been Mento free, and he'd expected the old man's tendencies had finally worn off of him. Old habits die hard, and all that jazz. However, Victor didn't find it quite as funny or ironic as Beast Boy did, so the changeling's sardonic smile fell.

With shoulders slumped, and downcast eyes, he finally gave in. "I'll behave. Got it."

Except, of course, he would wind up doing the exact opposite of that, like he already presumed he would. Empty promises were always harder to keep.

It would start when he'd find Handsy-Mcgee gloating to the other male guests at the wake. Somehow, Beast Boy couldn't quite waste the opportunity to put his own foot in his mouth, like he always did. Not when it came with the added bonus of humiliating her pathetic excuse for a plus one, anyways.

"From my knowledge, picking up babes at these functions is easy as pie," Raven's date cockily informed another young man, albeit somewhat cautiously. "Shoulder to cry on, comfort sex, and they usually want nothing to do with you after because of the guilt. It's the sweetest gig." The arrogance was dripping from his tone of voice.

Beast Boy had his back to them, but he rolled his eyes so hard at the dialogue exchange, and he nearly ruptured the plastic cup in his hand.

A small, rational voice in the back of his mind told him not to do it — it warned him, it wasn't a good idea to get involved. However, he'd already spun on his heel and forced an amiable, and tight-lipped smile at the two unsuspecting men, the voice muted and ignored beneath the building adrenaline coursing through his blood. They eyed him warily, taking in the shock of his green skin and hair and immediately recognizing the former Titan. Garfield then scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "Hate to break it to you _kind_ gentlemen, but the funeral scene isn't as bangin' as you might think. Unless you're into a lot of little old, widowed ladies, that is. Who can be sweet, but probably just want to feed you dessert and tell you stories, not really sleep with you."

The two young men stood there, mouths agape, trying to process his words as much as his unwanted presence. Beast Boy took it as an opportunity to continue, his confidence growing in momentum the same way an avalanche did. "Besides, everyone knows that _weddings_ are the best place to meet a fast hook-up. Single bridesmaids, lonely, drunk friends, women who _didn't_ catch the bouquet. Hell, why stop at funerals? Go the full sleazebag routine and _fuck the bride herself_." His tone quickly turned bitter with his uncharacteristic, vulgar language, his expression darkening despite the forced smile.

"Hey man, _no one_ asked you!" Raven's date piped up angrily, moving to stand in front of Garfield while puffing out his chest.

Beast Boy's smile only widened — just what he _wanted_. Victor's words were but a faded memory as something more primal dominated the forefront of his mind. He now felt a surge in adrenaline, the animalistic side of him encouraging the confrontation. He glared down at the shorter man, and stared into the puppy blues of his eyes, his jaw clenched. Amber swirled in his otherworldly stare, the threat imminent in the way he bared his teeth in a menacing grin. He was sure to showcase his sharp, pearly-white canines as he got into the other man's face, somehow having them look longer and pointier than usual. His opponent immediately backed up defensively, gulping, fear growing in his expression, his eyes wide like saucers. Beast Boy could see the way his pulse jumped at the side of his throat.

"Does your girl know what a stand up guy you really are?" Garfield snarled, invading the other man's personal space until he'd forced him to knock into a table nearby. "Does she know about all your exploits and conquests? How women are just some sort of a game to you?" The man visibly quivered, shrinking down against the wall in an effort to get away, but Beast Boy had him pinned, slamming the palm of his hand against the wall next to his head.

He was thoroughly enjoying every moment of exerting his dominance over such a pathetic little man, and so utterly consumed by it, that he hardly had time to pick up on her entrance until she'd spoken up.

" _What the hell are you doing?_ "

Raven's voice dissipated the budding tension between the two men, like a douse of cold water on a rising fire. Beast Boy, looking away to finally take notice of the empath's deadly glare, eventually eased off, and straightened her date's tie, patting his chest lightly in mock apology. The other man flinched at his touch and opened and closed his mouth, like a fish out of water, still visibly shaking in fright. He looked pale, and one might have argued that he'd seen the deceased ghost instead. Beast Boy smirked at the reaction. "No hard feelings. We were just having a debate about-"

"Cut the shit, Gar," Raven growled, interrupting him. Before he even had a chance to formulate his defense, she moved to step between them, and glowered at him, protective of her rather rattled date. "Can you be civil for even _one_ minute?" she seethed, arms folded over her chest while still holding her beverage in one hand.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "I _was_ being civil! Your little munchkin over here is the real piece of work, Rae!" He jabbed his thumb in the other man's direction, who was still as silent as stone.

"Don't call him that," she warned, her voice low and eyes narrowed into amethyst slits.

But Beast Boy didn't quite know when to stop, especially when he knew he'd gotten under someone's skin. "Does he come in carry-on size, too?" he quipped, giving her a sardonic smirk. "Do you bring him around in your purse, like one of those yippy little dogs?"

She threw her drink in his face.

By now they'd attracted a small audience, and they all collectively gasped at the sound of the splash, somehow the loudest thing in the room. His face ached from the chill and shock of the ice cold beverage, and he blinked at her in bewilderment, the liquid dripping down from his hair, to the slope of his nose, only to stain the front of his crisp, white dress shirt and shoes.

Certainly not the reunion he'd imaged for the two of them, he surmised, sputtering through the cool cola dribbling down his lips and sticking his lashes together. Somewhere in the crowd, he knew Cyborg was around, probably preparing the tongue-lashing he planned to give him the minute he had him alone.

Raven stood before him, still visibly fuming, her unshed tears shining in her passionate, glassy eyes. She was shaking on the spot with barely contained emotions, gritting her teeth while she continued to stare him down with narrowed eyes.

Beast Boy finally swallowed the lump in his throat, and spoke in a soft, monotone voice, "Enjoy your date, Raven."

He then bowed his head, and turned to walk away, pushing his way through the crowd while ignoring any of their questions and mumbled gossip. His skin still tingled where her drink was drying and sticky, and he wondered if it would ever stop feeling as numb as the rest of him.

* * *

Considering locking himself in the bathroom briefly, Garfield had an inkling that isolating himself that way would only further provoke his cybernetic friend. Deciding against it, he eventually meandered and slipped into the kitchen — which was significantly emptier now that all the food trays had been set out — and waited for Victor, who would no doubt have followed after him once the spectacle died down. Leaning against the counter by the sink, Garfield ignored the way some of the ladies stared at him and his soda-soaked hair and clothes. Eventually, they went away, too, smart enough to know not to ask questions from the Titan. Beast Boy stared at a point on the floor where the liquid dripped in a small pool by his dress shoes, until Cyborg's feet obscured his view of the ceramic tiles. Something cool touched his cheek, and when Garfield looked up, Victor had a wet cloth to wipe away the sugary drink from his face. He was avoiding his eyes, but the disapproval was evident in the tight, set line of his mouth.

Beast Boy sighed and slumped forward dejectedly. "Go ahead. Say it. Get it out of your system now."

Victor shook his head. "You never kick a man when he's already down."

"Huh." Garfield considered his words.

"You wanna plead your case?"

"Is it even worth it?"

"She threw her drink at you, and Raven doesn't do violence like that unless you've _really_ crossed a line. So, yeah. I'd say it is."

"I called her date pint-sized."

Cyborg chuckled a little. "Of course you did."

"He deserved it. He only came here because he thought it'd be easier to get into Raven's pants. And if she turned him down, he was already looking for a backup plan. He's a scoundrel, Cy. She can do so much better. She _deserves_ so much better."

"Hmm," Victor contemplated, humming as he wiped down the changeling's forehead. "And I'm guessing that'd be you?"

Beast Boy's shoulders sagged, and he went back to staring at the ground. With a defeated sigh, he shook his head. "Tried that, didn't work."

Victor didn't say anything to that, the older man having no more wisdom to impart on the subject. They'd long since exhausted that topic of conversation by break up number three.

This time, the shapeshifter smelled her before he saw her enter the room — the delectable scent of vanilla and lilacs from her perfume wafting gently into the kitchen. She never did put on enough to mask the musky scent of old books and candles, though. To his senses, her smell overpowered everything else. Food, baked goods, grief, overbearing cologne — like the one her date was wearing — even the linger of death itself seemed to cling to everyone's skin.

Cyborg had paused in what he was doing to acknowledge her, obviously as perplexed as the changeling at her unprecedented appearance. Raven was looking at them both, but it was as if she stared right through them, her face devoid of any significant emotion. She was like night and day, the ferociousness from earlier having dissipated from her fine features as if it had never been there to begin with. Now, she was like a porcelain doll — gloomy, eerie, and yet strikingly beautiful with those high cheekbones and thick, black lashes. She walked towards the pair like she was on a mission, her black pumps clicking against the kitchen tiles noisily. Starfire's handy work, of course. Raven had never been good at walking in heels.

Beast Boy stood up straighter and sucked in a deep breath, bracing himself for what he only could figure was round two. However, Raven didn't even look to be annoyed anymore, either. Instead, when she reached them, she paused and folded her arms over her chest, her expression a blank slate.

"Victor, do you mind giving us a moment?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the changeling's face.

Beast Boy gulped and clutched at his friend's robot arm. "Don't do it," he pleaded, staring up at Cyborg. It was meant to be in jest, but he also was in no mood for a tongue lashing from his ex girlfriend.

Cyborg gently wrenched his hand free and shook his head. "I warned you." He then moved away and grabbed all the bottles of pop and juice still sitting on the counter nearby. "Just in case," he assured the other Titans, cradling them in his arms. As he turned to leave, Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Beast Boy fidgeted awkwardly on the spot, looking anywhere but at her. He was still overcome with a sense of shame and embarrassment. It may have had to do with the fact he was currently sticky with soda.

Raven meandered over next to him and picked up the wet hand towel Cyborg had left behind. Gently, she began dabbing at his cheek, then down his jaw and neck.

"I think you owe me an apology," she told him straight.

" _I_ owe _you_ an apology?!" Beast Boy stared at her, bewildered.

She remained stoic and focused on her task, her fingers working diligently. "Yes."

"For what?!"

"For trying to beat up my date at a wake."

Beast Boy grit his teeth, his jaw muscles tensing. "Your _date_ ," he stated, "is an asshole."

"I know that, but you still shouldn't have behaved that way," Raven explained calmly. "Because _you_ are not."

The changeling blinked at her, surprised by her backhanded compliment. "So, let me get this straight." He licked his lips. "You knowingly bring a scummy boyfriend to a funeral, where he all but gloats about getting to sleep with you. I call him out for acting like a turd, you spill a drink on _me_ for trying to defend your honor, and now you're demanding that _I_ apologize?"

Raven sighed, and paused at his collarbone, where a single button of his dress shirt was undone. "He's _not_ my boyfriend, and I don't need you to _defend_ my anything."

Garfield rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, because _that's_ the main takeaway here," he chided her sarcastically.

Raven groaned, a vein at her temple pulsing as she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. "Why can't you just say you're sorry? Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?"

"That's hilarious coming from you! Do I need to remind you that you spilled a drink _in my face_?!" He motioned at his stained, satin white shirt. "And since when do you drink soda anyways? You hate that stuff!"

Ignoring his question, she, instead, glanced down at the ugly mark the brown beverage had left — effectively ruining what looked to be an expensive shirt — and bit down on her bottom lip, a flicker of guilt shining in her eyes.

Raven then ran her fingers down the ivory buttons, lingering softly at the splattered soda stain. "…I'm sorry, about the drink," she breathed, unable to meet his gaze.

Beast Boy sighed and slouched against the counter, his hand finding her delicate, pale wrist and encircling it. "And I'm sorry for making fun of your date."

She lingered at the buttons, playing with a single stud even beneath his warm grip. "You should probably take off the shirt, to see if we can remove the stain…," she suggested coyly, eyeing him beneath a thick fringe of lashes.

He smirked. "Going to take it to get dry cleaned for me, Rae?"

She flicked a button and then made it come undone. Beast Boy let go of her hand, only to have it brush along the small of her back, ever so subtly. Almost accidentally.

Raven leaned into him, undoing another two buttons to reveal the flat expanse of his green chest, and his other hand gripped her waist in response. Arousal was keen to his senses, and he could smell hers a mile away.

"What about the pants?" he whispered huskily against her ear, his warm breath against her skin earning him a soft gasp from her lips. "I think you got a spot there, too." He then guided one of her hands to his belt, where her fingers slipped down along his zipper to feel the beginning strain of his throbbing erection.

Raven licked her lips as Garfield hummed to her touch.

"I want you," he growled against her ear, but it was more like a promise than a confession.

The arch of her palm curved perfectly against him as she moved it slowly up and down along the fabric of his dress pants. "Are you going to take me at a wake?" she chuckled playfully. "Bold, even for you."

"That's not a no." He nipped at the lobe of her ear with his teeth and felt her shiver beneath him.

Raven gripped him with a squeeze, causing him to throw back his head and inhale sharply. Her other hand had traveled beneath the undone buttons of his crisp dress shirt, to feel the warmth of his skin under her palm. She explored the width of his chest, the ridges of muscle, and fine dusting of hair along his pectorals, until she could feel the steady beat of his heart. It picked up in speed at her touch, and a small, satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"It never is with us, is it?" she whispered against his cheek before pressing her lips softly to him.

"How can I help it? You're the loveliest person I know. Even when you're angry with me," he breathed heavily, laboured as if he'd just run a marathon and back.

She didn't wait any longer; she reached up and captured his lips with hers, pulling him in towards her by grabbing him by the shirt collar. Beast Boy easily melted into her touch, his arms encircling her waist…

* * *

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Victor found them in the cantina, red-handed. He ran his cybernetic hand over his face and groaned inexorably as the couple quickly separated and scrambled to put on their clothes. Beast Boy made a grab for his belt and black dress pants that had been carelessly tossed to the floor, while Raven gave Cyborg her back and attempted to clasp her bra back on.

"Seriously? _At a wake_?!" Victor groaned, incredulous at their behaviour. "What if someone else came in here, like, say, Jericho, or Rose? You really think either of them wanna see the two of you going at it like rabbits when their mom just _died_?!"

Beast Boy hung his head in shame after he'd thrown on his still stained dress shirt, running a hand through his tousled green hair. Raven had both her bra and shirt on, and was now adjusting her skirt back down over her thighs.

"I'm sorry, Vic. Couldn't help it, I guess…," Garfield apologized, still too cowardly to meet his friend's eye.

"You're seriously telling me that y'all couldn't keep it in your pants until we got back to the hotel?" Victor then quickly glanced behind him before leaning in and hissing at them, "You're lucky I blocked off the kitchen for you two, otherwise it'd be crawling with grief-stricken old folks right about now."

Raven was doing up the buttons to her blouse when she said, "It was my fault; I initiated it this time."

Garfield shot her a dubious look, surprise evident in his features. He shook his head. "No way, I definitely made things go further than they should have."

Raven merely pursed her lips in stubbornness. " _I'm_ the one who wanted to have sex." When she dipped her chin down to continue buttoning up her clothes, she additionally muttered, "It's been so long since anyone other than _me_ has given me an orgasm…"

Victor sputtered on the spot, covering his ears with his hands and squeezing his eyes shut, as if to block out the mental images. "Too much information, Rae! Too. Much. _Information_!"

Beast Boy ignored Cyborg, and rolled his eyes at the empath. "Pft, like _I_ didn't want to have sex. Do you even know me?"

That earned him a tiny smirk as Raven regaled him, her gaze slipping to his exposed torso where he'd left his shirt open and her plum lipstick kiss was still etched on the spot over his heart. Lust lingered in her eyes, and it made him throb and lick his lips in anticipation, still tasting the remnants of her. It was pointless to think that they were anywhere near finished with one another. Her lipstick had been smeared all over his neck and down his body, too, and she seemed almost proud of the marks she'd left on him.

"You two done yet?" Victor interrupted, annoyed.

Raven had done up her last button, and was combing through the strands of her disheveled hair with her fingers in an attempt to adjust it. "I can't lie to you; sex is a pleasant distraction from all the surrounding grief and sorrow."

"So what you're saying is, you guys are back together?" Victor folded his arms over his chest, cocking his head to the side as he examined them both with an amused scrutiny.

At this insinuation, both Garfield and Raven exchanged dumbfounded glances, neither truly knowing how to proceed with answering the question.

Cyborg chuckled at their reaction, shaking his head. "Don't really know why I bothered askin' a question we all already know the answer to." He waved his hand at them, as if to be dismissing the idea entirely, before turning his back to leave. "Y'all have about three and a half minutes to look presentable. That's as long as I can hold them off," he threw over his shoulder before disappearing out the doors.

Alone now, Raven cleared her throat unceremoniously and quickly looked around for both her heels and the silken black panties that had been tossed to the side in their fit of passion. The heels were easy enough to spot, but her underwear was currently hanging off the doorknob, and she snatched them with an embarassed flush growing over her cheeks. Beast Boy scratched at the nape of his neck nervously.

"So," he coughed, adjusting his belt. "Where do we go from here?"

Raven slipped her heels back onto her feet after she'd shimmied her panties back on. "The hotel room, duh."

He had to laugh at that. "Not what I meant, but okay."

"I know what you meant, I just don't really have an answer for you."

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "Ready for the walk of shame?" Beast Boy extended his hand to her and smiled genuinely.

Raven shook her head. "I was thinking we'd just sneak out the back door and avoid all that."

Much to his surprise, she did take his hand, though. "You always were the smart one in the relationship," he confessed.

Just the feeling of her fingers lacing with his was enough to make his heart swell with emotion. He reached down and kissed her forehead, just below her chakra and in between her brow.

"What was that for?" she asked, confusion drawing her features.

He shrugged, still smiling like a fool. "I guess I really just couldn't help myself."

* * *

 **FIN**


	2. pet names

_**Pet Names**_

 **Rated: K+**

* * *

Raven cherished life — all of it.

She tried to remind herself of the teachings she'd come to learn back on Azarath, even as the loud screeching and yelping filled her ears the moment they'd entered the pet store.

It was like an instantaneous headache, and she visibly grimaced as the sudden loud noise and juvenile emotions overcame her senses. One by one, she began the arduous process of blocking them out until her mind was a little more quiet again.

 _Too much. Too loud. Make it stop._

Azar, she was _trying_. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to bring a halt to the pulsations throbbing between her temples. Was this what life was going to be like for them, too?

"You alright, Rae?" His voice was — oddly enough — the only resounding calm in the storm. When she opened her eyes and met his familiar, concerned visage, it was like a lull in the otherwise crazy environment she'd willingly strutted into. Everything else became a faded sound — background noise she could suddenly easily tune out in order to focus on _him_. Even time itself seemed to come to a winding crawl, as she watched him slowly blink at her with worry etched into the lines of his youthful features.

Little did he know how often she used him as a beacon of salvation from her own inner demons and turmoil. Raven liked to think of him as her personal lighthouse, there to keep her afloat in even the darkest, stormiest of nights.

Even the _Other_ seemed to hum and resonate with approval from within her — in a peculiar singsong fashion — as if to be in complete blissful agreeance with how she now viewed him in her life. In fact, her very being resonated with the emotions, making her nerves spark with a familiar warmth that started from the depths of her loins and worked its way to her fingertips, toes, and hairline.

 _Happy. Good. Love._

She couldn't help the microscopic smile that annoyingly tugged at the corners of her lips. All the positive emotions bubbled up within her, and they were vexingly contagious, regardless of how basic and primitive they were in nature.

"I'm fine. It's just…a little loud in here, that's all," she confessed, not without a small smile.

Beast Boy relaxed at her reassuring tone, the jade of his irises twinkling again. "If it's too much, we can go…"

She didn't need to read his emotions to know that he'd have been devastated if she agreed. Raven shook her head no. "We came here for a reason, and we're not leaving until we pick out a furball to go home with," she reminded him quite sternly.

He grinned at her response, the vibrance of his elation surging and consuming in a way that drowned out everything else around him. If Raven had to describe his disposition in one word, she'd choose _sunshine_. Not only was it all encompassing, warm and bright, it was also equally as _blinding_ and overbearing when one attempted to take it head on.

Beast Boy then extended his hand out towards her, palm open, and waited for her to take it. "Then let's go find our new Mister Buttons." He grinned toothily, the deep lines around his mouth accentuating his faint dimples.

He never was one for patience though, and as the empath was currently preoccupied with studying the patterns on his palm incredulously, Beast Boy yanked her hand in his and started barreling his way further into the store before she could even think to utter a word of protest. Raven found herself frowning, brow creased, even as he dragged her down the aisles in uninhibited excitement. " _Mister Buttons_?" she repeated dryly, evidently unamused. "Tell me that isn't what you're thinking of naming it. Besides, who said we're getting a _boy_?"

"Fine. _Miss_ Buttons, then. I'm not picky." Beast Boy was practically running along the bustling aisles now, carefully dodging any salesperson because he knew how uncomfortable it made his girlfriend whenever she was forced into conversation with strangers.

Raven couldn't help a secret smile at his dismissiveness. A good thing, or he might have started asking questions far too soon for her liking.

At the implication of their hand holding, Raven's heart swelled and soared with emotion, without any permission at all — the way it usually did these days. It was uncontrollable, how warm and soft everything was when he was so forward with his affections for her. He was hers, and she was his, after all. They were together, and she finally had someone to call her own, in a life that was hers at last. Normally, these sort of sappy feelings were but an afterthought to the rigid empath, but lately, even the smallest romantic gestures set her stomach aflutter, and quickened her heartbeat. The reason for this unprecedented behaviour had become apparent to her only recently, but still, Raven was left at the mercy of her own baser instincts, and so she would have no choice but to allow it. Thankfully, Beast Boy had been none the wiser to her slight change in demeanour. Or, in the least, he hadn't made to mention it yet. A blessing in disguise, as it granted Raven the reprieve she needed to gather her own courage in preparation for _that_ conversation.

"What about Cotton?" she mused aloud, catching him off guard, but he didn't seem to really hear her once they'd reached their destination.

They finally came to a stop by the cat adoption windows, and Garfield gave her the _eyes_.

Raven folded her arms over her chest and clucked her tongue, shaking her head curtly. "That's _not_ what we agreed on, Gar," she chided him in her chilling tone of voice. Starfire had always told her that she had to have nerves of steel to withstand the infamous pouty eyes that belonged to Garfield Logan. Even then, the way his shoulders slumped, and his gaze drifted to the floor, made her heart drop to the pits of her stomach.

Not even her demon heritage made her feel as evil, callous, and cruel as she did in that moment, despite knowing it truly was for the best.

"Yeah, yeah. Start with a hamster, go from there," Beast Boy reiterated the instruction in monotone, his voice dropping an octave lower as he kicked his feet against the tiled floor.

She eased off in her body language, and sighed before heading over to the cages nearby. A few furry critters domesticated the place, in varying sizes and colours. Beast Boy joined her shortly, and they both surveyed the hamsters that seemed otherwise undisturbed by their presence.

"Cute, huh?" he commented with a smile, eyeing the one currently running a marathon on its little wheel.

Raven pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose in mild disgust. Mostly due to the rank odour of feces filtering out from the cage. "I guess so…They kind of look like furrier, fatter rats, though."

He chuckled at that. "You don't think they look like cotton balls? Since you want to go with Cotton as a name, I mean."

She shrugged. "It was a suggestion. And for the record, it's still _leagues_ better than Mister or Misses _Buttons_."

"What about Rex?" Beast Boy ignored her jibe.

 _Wrong_.

Raven had to agree there. "I don't think it's a boy…"

"How can you even tell with all that fur?" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, squinting in at the cage to get a better look at the hamster's genitals.

"It just doesn't feel right," she explained, hunching her shoulders as if a cold breeze had just blown by her.

"Hmm," Beast Boy scratched his chin. "Dutchess?"

 _Wrong!_

Raven made a face. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I think she could be a Dutchess. Her fur is golden!"

 _No!_

"Try again."

"Ginger? Lady? Precious?"

 _No, no, no!_

Raven scowled. "Those are terrible, Gar."

It was probably by pure chance that she saw it at all, the sign next to the cat cubicle right next to them. Immediately, it seemed to call to her, and the _Other_ — for once — remained quiet at her internal suggestion. No agitation, no argument.

Raven smiled. She'd gladly take silence as a concession.

"Nalah," she said, and it was as certain as the day.

Garfield stood up to his full height, a look of confusion muddling his handsome features. "Like, the Lion King?" he clarified, dubious.

He didn't wait for her to answer. His face lit up and he gasped as realization finally dawned on him. "That's _perfect_! The hamster, but as fierce as a lion! It's adorable for a little fuzzy critter like her!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Beast Boy then turned and pawed his finger at a hole in the cage with an eager smile, and the little thing grabbed a hold of him with its tiny hands, and bit down. " _Yeow_!" he yelped, immediately withdrawing his hand and shaking it.

Raven giggled. "I'm not sure what you expected to happen, especially when she's named after a _lion_ , of all things."

He soured and cradled his injured finger against his chest. "She's got a mean streak is what she's got," Beast Boy grumbled, narrowing his eyes at their future new pet.

"Hey, Raven?"

"Hmm?" The empath was currently busy watching the hamster stuff some food in its ever growing cheeks, like it was some kind of challenge to see how much it could fit in there.

"Why Nalah? How'd you come up with that? Not for anything, but you've never been a big Disney fan, and I should know; I've forced you to watch the two films you _have_ seen. Lion King was _not_ one of them."

Raven hummed, enjoying the brief power she held over the changeling in his lack of knowledge. "You could say I had some help deciding."

Beast Boy fixed her with a look of disbelief — not unlike the first time he'd ever seen her use her powers — before she nodded towards the sign behind him in exasperation. He turned his head to look, and then said, "Ah. I guess it's also a pretty good name for a kitten, y'know." He waggled his eyebrows at her in a final attempt to sway her, but Raven's smile fell and he stopped. There was no wiggle room with her when it came to pets.

"Hamster first, then cat. If you can manage taking care of the little one, we'll consider something bigger."

"Worth a shot," Beast Boy shrugged. "Let me hail down a salesperson and get this show on the road! In the meantime, start looking at cages and food for Nalah!"

Before she could even open her mouth to protest, he was gone, racing down the aisles and swinging his head from side to side in search of a familiar set of clothes.

Raven shook her head, but she couldn't escape the feeling of unbridled joy that had seeped out of Garfield when she'd told him that she was ready to raise their first pet together. It had stuck with her all this time, and spread through her like a tingling warmth that moved from within her bloodstream itself, like she carried a piece of it with her wherever she went.

She smirked at that; in a way, maybe it _was_.

"Did you need any help here, ma'am?"

Raven was startled by the voice behind her, and she practically jumped out of her skin, her hand moving defensively to her belly. The salesperson smiled at her, and she was able to gauge that it was genuine. Somewhat a surprising turn of events, since most retail workers often hated their jobs, and oozed with dissatisfaction. The woman glanced down briefly at Raven's hand, and said, "Oh, are you looking for a future companion for the little one?"

The empath staggered, but the _Other_ — although silent — was still very much present. It felt like a roll call, the way the older woman had announced it, and the tiny life form growing within the demoness seemed to respond as if to say, ' _here_ '. The truth was, Raven wasn't even _showing_. She was hardly in her first trimester, and thus, still didn't have the courage yet to tell Garfield that she was expecting _his_ child. And yet…

"We're getting a hamster," she blurted out, her face feeling flushed and pink suddenly. "Naming her Nalah."

He wasn't supposed to have left her there in the first place. This was all _his_ fault.

"Nalah? That's a wonderful name!" the employee remarked. "You've probably got a list of names I bet."

Raven gulped. "N-not really…just one."

It was difficult to discern if they were still talking about hamsters.

The employee was going for the keys to fetch the fussy, little critter that both Raven and Beast Boy had picked out. "Oh?" She raised her eyebrows, curious.

Raven stared down at her shoes, after having made sure that the green changeling was still nowhere in sight. She couldn't help the way both her hands came to instinctively guard her abdomen, just as her thoughts returned to what was growing inside her. "Chaaya…Her name, it's Chaaya."

 _Good._

Raven had known she'd liked it the day she'd seen it on the television a few days after she'd discovered the pregnancy. One of the weather forecasters, _her_ name had been Chaaya, and it had flashed on the screen as Garfield was lazing in her lap, too busy tapping away on his phone to be paying anything any mind. An insignificant moment in time, and yet, she couldn't help but be drawn to it, the same way she'd been drawn to Nalah. It had given her a sense of calm, when her mind had been rattled and chaotic from the information she'd been withholding from her partner. Somehow, the name cemented the presence, and Raven knew that it was right.

"It means shadow in Hindi," she added, unable to shut up now that she was in this awkward social situation. "My mother, she was part Indian."

"That's a very pretty name," the saleswoman assured her. "It's probably corny, but I'm a firm believer that moms just _know_ sometimes. When it's right, it's right. And when it's wrong, they'll tell ya by giving you a swift kick in the gut! At least, that's what my Ma used to say about me!" The older lady chuckled, eliciting a nervous, crooked smile from Raven that would have probably sent all four of the other Titans recoiling in fear. "Now, was there a cage you two had picked out yet, or did you want some advice?"

Raven absentmindedly tucked some hair behind her ear, still feeling embarrassed from her uncharacteristic oversharing with a total stranger. "Advice would be appreciated," she mouthed delicately.

Although picking out the right cage for their new fuzzy roommate was also important, Raven would have vastly preferred a how-to guide on telling her oblivious boyfriend that he was going to be a father to a demon-baby instead…

* * *

"There you are!"

Much to her relief, she found her in his study. Not that Beast Boy really used the study for anything other than gaming and entertainment, but there were a few books lining the shelves, and a nice, rich mahogany armchair in the corner, courtesy of Raven.

So, to her, a study it was.

He had his back to them both at the opposite end of the room, still too absorbed in his match on his computer to have even heard the girl's nonsensical sputtering and happy clapping. Once the headphones were on, the world could have crashed and burned around them, and Garfield would be too busy yelling at his screen to notice.

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes before stepping into the carpeted room to scoop the unsuspecting infant up in her arms. Chaaya cooed and wiggled excitedly in her mother's embrace, happy for no good reason other than existing, it seemed. Raven got a whiff of her diaper and flinched at the smell. How babies could sit in their own excrement would always boggle her mind for as long as she lived.

The empath then strutted over towards her boyfriend to stand before him until she'd gotten his attention, and patiently waited for him to pause the game and remove his headphones. Garfield made to look between both his screen and his wife and child a few times, as if uncertain as to which he should attend to first. Eventually, Raven's icy purple glare helped him make the right decision with a little more haste.

"Uh, hey, what's Chaaya doing here?" he asked, somewhat out of breath from his nervousness.

As if on cue, a bubble of spit dribbled down the infant's chin, and she bounced again, rubbing her small hands together while smiling giddily in his direction. Beast Boy couldn't help but reach out a hand and tickle her plump little shoulder, to which she cooed louder.

"You tell me," Raven replied. "One minute, she was playing in the living room while I was reading, and the next, she'd vanished without a trace!"

The changeling smirked up at his lovely wife knowingly. "Got you a little worried, huh?"

Raven shifted the baby's weight in her arms and sighed, hating — and loving — the way it made her feel when he looked at her like that. Especially when she had other pressing matters to confront him with " _Worried_? She's technically another spawn of Trigon's, so yes. I'm _always_ worried, Gar."

He had to frown at that. "She's more _you_ than him, y'know."

Raven shook her head, irritable. "That's not the point. The point is, I can't seem to keep her away from you for even a minute!" Raven argued, changing the subject exasperatedly. Even now, Chaaya screeched and struggled against her mother's grip, reaching out towards Garfield like he was a raft while she was drowning in an ocean.

He took her from the arms of his frustrated wife, and sat her on his lap before she could whack Raven in the face with one of her flailing limbs.

"What do you mean? She's perfectly fine when she's alone with you," Garfield assured her, nuzzling the soft, dark hair on their daughter's head.

Raven wiped at her sweaty forehead, and rubbed at her tired eyes, the dark circles beneath them evidence of just how little sleep she got over doting on the baby. "Yes, everything's perfectly _fine_ when you're _not_ around, but on the occasion that she's awareyou're somewhere nearby, she doesn't hesitate to follow you everywhere! She can't even walk yet, and she's already made a habit of crawling away from me to go wherever _you_ go!"

"Azar, I wish we stuck to the hamster and cat; she nearly gives me a heart attack twice a day!" As if on cue, Raven glanced to the side where she could hear Nalah furiously working her wheel in blissful ignorance. Their black cat, which they had aptly named Mister Buttons on Beast Boy's absolute insistence, was currently lounging on a nearby windowsill, cleaning his fur.

Beast Boy chuckled as he helped soothe Chaaya, cradling her tenderly in his arms. With a thumb in her mouth, her eyes half-lidded, and her little head resting contently against his chest, the infant girl was ready for her nap time, it seemed. "She's only living up to her name, Rae. The name _you_ picked out for her, I'll remind you."

Raven had to pause at that, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she pondered his meaning, which seemed to elude her currently exhausted mind.

"She's my shadow. My little shadow. Isn't that right?" he explained teasingly, wiggling the tip of his nose against his baby daughter's as she came to life with a sharp giggle. The slope of her nose was smaller and daintier, but still identical to Garfield's, making the movement even more charming than it ought to have been.

Raven couldn't help but watch in adoration, the panic and fear dissipating to be replaced by what she now knew to describe as pure, unfiltered _love_. Intoxicating and consuming, that was the singular emotion that Chaaya had left within her after she'd been born and Raven had been so afraid of losing her connection to them both.

A sense of unconditional love for her newest family.

Both of which, in this moment, were _hers_ , and no one — not even her father or her brothers — were ever going to take that away from her.

Not without a fight, at least…

* * *

 **FIN**


	3. alone together

_**Alone Together**_

 **Rated: M for mature content**

* * *

Business. He was there on _business_. Raven rolled the word around on her tongue, like a bittersweet lozenge. Mostly, she hated it. The way it fell out of everyone else's mouth so casually, caused her to purse her lips and scowl in discontent. Her reaction was involuntary, and she all but huffed out of the office after the secretary informed her of his status. With her arms folded over her chest as she spun on her heel, Raven couldn't help but feel the aching hurt of her pride at his callousness.

The _nerve_.

Business, he'd said. Not just any business; _League business._ In other words, none of _her_ business.

Just thinking about it made her mood sour anew and her hands curl up into angry fists, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms.

How many months had she volunteered to spend away from him to help with the new recruits? How many bruises and aches had she been forced to heal as a result? Her own, and her pupils, after they'd been battered accidentally by those who did not know the limitations of their incredible powers just yet. The very lesson she'd been tasked with teaching.

She'd given up an entire life with him for the sake of the school; the promise they'd made when they'd sworn to pursue their feelings for one another, broken.

Azar, she'd even given up the _sex_. All the toys in the world couldn't satisfy the way her skin ached for the burn of his fingertips, or that skillful tongue between her quivering thighs…

So much sacrifice, so much work she'd put into helping run the school, she may as well have been a founding member, as one of the oldest Titans in the building. Looking at the brick walls of the impressive building, the towers, and endless surrounding grounds, had Raven feeling almost nostalgic; it was partly _hers_ , and she may as well have helped raise it from the ground up.

Anger returned anew, like a tornado of flame fanning from within her.

 _How dare he_?

She grit her teeth, raised her hood, and marched across the campus grounds, the heels of her boots sinking into the soft soil and grass. Her infamous royal blue cloak billowed about her slender silhouette when the wind picked up on the crisp, autumn day. She was far too agitated to dare call upon her powers and fly to her destination.

Feeling that both her pride and ego were damaged, Raven knew her class for the morning would be a taxing one. Azar help her, she had to ensure that she didn't take out her aggression on her already fragile students. It wasn't their fault that her mood had been ruined, after all. She just had to keep that in mind until, at least, the lesson was over.

* * *

"Who's that?"

Raven heard the mutterings of her dismissed students before she was able to lay eyes on the object of their befuddlement. She'd been grabbing her paperwork and ancient tomes from her desk when the young, prospective heroes had bottlenecked at the door, the bell for class dismissal having rung only a few moments ago.

Raven looked up, and caught them all crowding around the entrance, trying to get a better look at… _something_ , while others appeared to be awed in place with fascination.

Curious, she moved towards the chaos, pushing past bodies with ease as her very presence often made her students immediately uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" she queried in her staple, gravelly tone, but no one seemed to be able to answer her.

By the time she was standing at the doorway, she spotted him easily enough.

A green lemur, doing tricks and hanging off the ceiling lights by his tail, had a tendency to stick out, even in a building full of metahumans and the like.

The familiar, red hot fury from the morning returned, and Raven found herself inhaling sharply, eyes narrowed at the fuzzy, green creature currently impressing her kids with simple acrobatics and clever use of this particular animal form.

 _Business_ , huh?

She crossed her arms over her chest, and pursed her lips, tapping the toe of her foot impatiently against the tiled floors of the hallway. Unlike the adolescents behind her, Raven was not to be so easily goaded.

The unnaturally emerald-coated beast did a final jump into the air, huddling into a ball before strategically landing on his feet, suddenly human again. Beast Boy grinned up at his spectators, to which most clapped and cheered, with the exception of Raven. His worst critic, as always. Immediately, his smile fell when he regarded her, and he stood to his feet, regaining a serious composure that was akin to that of a hero on the roster of the Justice League.

Clearing his throat, he shyly glanced at the empath. "Hey, Rae."

She responded by continuing to glare at him. All the while, the students surrounding her resumed their gossip about the green stranger, recognizing both his abilities and uniform, and apparently becoming starstruck.

"What are _you_ doing outside my classroom?" Raven finally queried, unable to keep her tone from sounding cold and calculated. "Does your _League_ business somehow concern any of my students?"

Beast Boy seemed a touch caught off guard by her abrasiveness, and he prickled at the tone of her accusation. "No, I didn't even know this was your classroom," he admitted. "Vic sent me here as part of the routinely check we do every visit." He appeared genuine in his statement, and this only further aggravated Raven.

Clutching her books tightly to her chest, and with a new, firmer resolve, she made to strut past him, no longer interested in holding a conversation with him.

"Raven! Wait up!" he called after her hopelessly, giving some chase down the bustling hallway, now crowding with students.

"I have work to do, Gar," she sighed, too annoyed to even bother looking at him.

"It can't wait?"

"No," she told him with finality.

He wasn't the _only_ one who could be too busy for their relationship. Part of her knew that she was being unfairly petty, but his dejected sigh gave her a small hint of satisfaction.

Nonetheless, her heart still panged with an unrelieved aching, but she ignored it. Even the small part of her that had hoped — no, _wished_ — he would still give her chase, she opted to silence. He'd hurt her, intentionally or not, and that was never something the empath took lightly. Beast Boy seemed to get the hint, and lingered in the quickly filling hallway where she'd left him, but Raven didn't dare look back. Instead, she held her head high, and turned the corner, focused on her task at hand and trying to pretend that her eyes did not sting with unshed tears.

* * *

 _Azar, have mercy on their souls._

She was running down the dark corridors, her heart hammering in her chest, with nothing but a small light she'd conjured to help her navigate the inside of the school during such late hours. Raven's haggard, raspy breathing was the loudest thing she heard in the echo of the empty halls, followed by the soft padding of her slippered feet against the tiles. She'd barely had the time to drape her cloak over her shoulders, still wearing her sleeping gown when she'd received the ominous, blaring memo that had awoken her in the dead of night.

Her communicator had gone off, the red buttons blinking in the familiar pattern that indicated an emergency at the school. When the map of the grounds flashed on her screen, the light had blipped in the cafeteria, and a million awful thoughts had filled her head.

They'd always said it would be one of _her_ students, if there ever was an attack. Raven had fought for them, stood up against the stigma that surrounded the children and their fearsome capabilities whenever the opportunity arose. She'd swore to herself that she'd never allow them to experience the same fear and isolation she had whilst growing up. After all, she'd bonded with them all, and took great pride in helping facilitate their growth, even the most difficult of the youth she'd been entrusted with.

That was why she'd rushed over. Any of the other teachers would be quick to point fingers, and in their lack of empathy and understanding, they'd likely make the situation worse.

Panic and dread were a deadly cocktail in her system, and Raven could not rely on her powers when her emotions were — for a second time that day — frazzled. So she ran, as fast as she had when she'd been forced to keep up with Robin. There'd been a time when she'd been robbed of all her abilities before, and because of that, she'd been forced to learn how to push past the limitations of her more mortal body.

The school itself was quiet and still, barely reminiscent of the vast amount of life it housed during the daylight hours, but that didn't deter her.

Still, perhaps if she'd paid more attention, she'd have been less surprised by what she found when she'd opened the heavy, oaken doors of the cafeteria.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she hesitated at the scene before her, confused.

Candles lit the room, eerie in the vast, long, shuddering shadows that they summoned against the brick walls. There was one illuminating almost every corner, but the majority of them were situated on a single, solitary table, of which had one unoccupied bench, while the other held the weight of a lounging, sly-smirking shapeshifter.

His eyes, a vibrant emerald green, shone with flecks of gold as the bright flames of the candle wicks illuminated his visage, casting shadows on his handsome features. Raven glanced about suspiciously, looking for any obvious sign of trouble, and when she found none, he'd hopped off the bench, and bowed to her dramatically. "Care to join me, my fair lady?"

She hesitated, lingering by the doorway and pondering what sort of nonsense Beast Boy was up to now. It had quickly become apparent that there was no impending doom, and that no other student or teacher, or villain, was about the school this late at night. All her worry was for naught, and the reason behind the adrenaline coursing through her blood, stood directly before her.

"Garfield," she started with a lick of her lips, taking a careful step forward, "did you…did you set off the emergency call to my communicator?" She scrutinized him with narrowed eyes.

The changeling grinned up at her cheekily, a single fang gleaming in the light. "How else was I going to get you all alone without anyone else prying?"

Now, standing up to his full height, he walked directly towards her, only pausing when there was less than a hairsbreadth between them. His hands then moved gently to clutch at her bare upper arms from beneath her cloak, and began rubbing them up and down in a warm, tender caress.

Raven fell easily enough into his touch, her icy skin tingling at the heat emanating from the palms of his hands. He always did burn hot. Fast metabolism, animal genetics, and a really good appetite, he'd once told her.

As pleasant of a distraction as it was, Raven's sense of logic demanded answers for her questions. "So, there's no emergency?"

Beast Boy stepped closer, one of his legs pressing between her thighs. His hands fell to her waist, the pads of his fingers feeling the soft fabric of her silken nightdress. "Oh, there's definitely an emergency," he whispered gruffly next to her mouth. Azar, she could smell the sharp spice of his cologne on his neck, as well as his natural musk beneath it. "Just not the one you were probably expecting."

His voice was husky and low in her ear just as he placed his lips in a soft, lingering kiss along the edge of her jaw. He then followed it, painfully slow, with another one right by the corner of her mouth, until Raven could take it no more, and crushed her lips to his, gripping his head by tangling her fingers in his hair like a woman starved.

She moaned into him, fervently pressing her body as tightly against his as she could. He seemed to reciprocate her eagerness, the fever contagious between them, as his slick tongue darted into her hot mouth to war with her own. Grunting, he'd lifted the ends of her dress about her waist, and hoisted her up over his hips by gripping her buttocks. Her long, pale legs wrapped about him instinctively, and she arched her pelvis against his in a frustrating fashion.

When they had to part for air, gasping, Raven said, "Azar, I've missed you."

He nuzzled his nose against hers, closing his eyes and breathing her in. "You have no idea how long I've been trying to get us alone together. The thought of you being in the same building all this time, and not being near you, _kills_ me, Rae."

She nipped at his bottom lip, savouring the way he moaned when she did, his warm hands feeling delectable against the naked skin of her back. Their clothes were vexing to his touch, and she wished he'd merely use his claws to tear them apart already. Lust and desire predominated Raven's psyche, but there was also an inkling of guilt at his words and her previous behaviour; she ought to have _known_ better.

With her fingers still knotted in the lush waves of his hair at the nape of his neck, she glanced down into his eyes, and asked, "Then why did you tell everyone you were here strictly on business?"

He gave her a lopsided smile, devious in nature. "Because it was the only way the League would send me here at all. I convinced them the school needed a quick check-in, and to send me to do it. Of course, they made Vic come, too, just to keep an eye on me, but between us, I'm pretty sure they _all_ knew that I just really wanted to see you again. I was getting pretty antsy about it, in fact."

Beast Boy then buried his face in the crook over her neck, biting down on the sensitive flesh until Raven's head fell back and she moaned aloud, her voice echoing and carrying throughout the empty halls of the school. He then licked the reddened spot, and placed a sweet kiss up along the path to her ear, purring in content at how her body reacted to him. "God, I've missed you, babe," he growled, inhaling her her sweet scent.

"You did all this just to see me?" she asked, almost in disbelief of such flattery.

"Of course I did. Why else would I even be here? I hate school," he teased.

She had to chuckle a little at that, stroking his hair lovingly. "I thought you were homeschooled."

"I was, but I hated that, too. Although…" His expression darkened, and his hands moved south to the roundness of her backside. "If I had a teacher as hot as you, I might have hated it a little less."

"If this is your attempt at convincing me to roleplay, it's not working," she stated in a deadpan manner.

Garfield shrugged, and then turned to gently settle her back against the table, making Raven gasp in surprise. Moving the bench out of his way in a display of incredible strength, Beast Boy then hovered over top of her, his arms on either side of her head. "Doesn't really matter to me; either way, we're doing it in the cafeteria, after hours, in the school you work at. Still pretty taboo, and hot, in my opinion."

Raven found herself smiling along with him and, before pulling his head down towards her in a passionate kiss, she whispered in warning, "Just don't tell the principle…"

* * *

 **FIN**


	4. it's 3am

_**It's 3 AM**_

 **Rated: T**

* * *

"Is it true what they say about witches?" Garfield took the liberty to pick up a single one of the many auspicious glass decanters lining the shelves of Raven's workspace. He brought it close to examine it in the dim light of the fire, trying to decipher the oozing, almost glowing, pink muck from within it. As if on cue, it bubbled and popped, like molten lava, and he nearly dropped it to the floor.

"What part?" She had a flicker of amusement in her otherwise flat tone, but she never bothered to grace him with a look, far too embroiled with her own machinations. "The one about eating babies, or the crooked nose and moles?"

Garfield carefully placed the glass back onto her shelf, and tried to appear as charming as possible with his trademark grin. "We all know that you've got a lovely nose, of course."

"Do I? How can you be certain my appearance isn't merely an enchantment meant to bewitch you? Perhaps I'm only using a feminine allure that happens to appeal to a man's weak-minded, superficial preferences."

The nervous gulp from the shafeshifter made the sorceress's smile grow, even as she was busy bent over, studying the development of the dying plant she'd imbued with a spell only days ago, through a lens.

He cleared his throat, adjusted his clothes, and walked towards her, trying to keep his eyes level instead of proving her point by having his gaze drift to her well-defined rear. Taking a peek at what she was looking at, he feigned interest, "Is it growing yet?"

Raven clucked her tongue in annoyance, her eyes not leaving the tiny green specimen before her. "These things take time, Garfield."

He rocked on his heels before looking out the tower's open windows to spot the dark stillness of night and its twinkling stars. "I can see that," he added with a frown, his brows furrowing. "Speaking of time," he stretched his arms wide in a loud yawn, "shouldn't we be heading back? I've got a pillow with my name on it."

The young, cloaked woman rolled her eyes. "You may leave, if you wish to," she dismissed him, her tone cold and uncaring.

"You know that I can't do that."

Raven stood up, sighing deeply before turning to appraise him with her fingers massaging her temples. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself, we've been over this countless times!"

As per usual, the green-skinned man stood his ground, his mouth a tight line. "I am also perfectly aware of that. However, I still can't just _leave_. I'd be disobeying direct orders, and-"

"Just because you are my _husband_ — not by choice, mind you — does not mean that you _own_ me," she interjected venomously.

She saw a muscle at his jaw twitch before he carefully replied in a low voice, no doubt containing his agitation with her. "You, of all people, should know that isn't how I think of you at all, because if I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all right now. What I was _going_ to say, had you not interrupted me, was that the last time I disobeyed orders, you were kidnapped and nearly killed by a crazy demonic cult, and I was demoted to a busboy at the filthiest bar in town."

Raven scoffed, leaning back against her round, wooden work table and gripping the edges with her fingers. "Are you seriously gloating because you _don't_ take advantage of my body?" Her darkly painted lips curled into a wicked smile. "Why don't you ask your general what happened to the _last_ man who tried that."

"For the last time, I'm not here as your goddamn husband! I'm here as part of the Queen's guard! To protect you, as by _her_ request! Just like I did when she asked me to marry you, and just like I did when that demon worshipping witch boy nearly sacrificed you to Trigon!" He was shaking, and perhaps that humbled the dark haired enchantress a little.

She tapped the point of her chin with a single index finger, pondering. "We've both made sacrifices for the sake of others, Garfield. It isn't that I am unappreciative, but if you don't let me do my part and finish my work here, then you'll be shackled to me forever, and I very much doubt you want that."

Raven then turned and rubbed at her sleep-ridden eyes, feeling the weariness of the night tugging at her very bones while the promise of a dreamless sleep tempted her sweetly. She'd used her abilities to maneuver one of the jars over to her position, too exhausted to walk to it herself, but even the magic was taxing on her mind. Sleep tugged at the edges of her psyche, and her eyelids were barely able to stay open. Opening the bottle once it had reached her hand, she uncorked it and took a swig of the cold, vile liquid inside, feeling all semblance of tiredness dissipate once more. She gagged a little on the flavor, but pressed her hand to her lips to keep it down.

Garfield's hand was on the small of her back, and he took the glass from her hands before she knew what was happening. Raven was so weary, she hadn't even noticed that he'd moved so close, and so she looked up at him in surprise, watching shadows dance on his face with the fading light of the flickering candles. Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped at a dribble of liquid that had slipped down her chin. "What I _want_ , right now, is for you to get some rest before you overwork yourself to death. Everything will still be here in the morning, and that stuff you've been drinking can't possibly be healthy in the doses I've seen you take." His voice was soft and intimate, as if it were for her ears only.

He brushed a strand of her long, violet hair behind her ears, and stared down into her eyes.

Azar be damned, she wanted him to kiss her!

Feeling foolish and weak by the unprecedented sentiment, Raven immediately pushed him away as easily as she did the feeling. "I'd sooner die from trying to do some good work than at the filthy hands of a group of angry bigots and disbelievers."

He cupped her chin and forced her to look back at him, eyes glassy as he searched the planes of her face. "Rae, you're exhausted, and I'm not going to stand here and watch you work yourself to death…You're…you're too important for that. More important than anyone else."

"Are you imposing a curfew on your bride, then?" she mused, desperate to get away from his touch before she caved into his charm.

Garfield chuckled. "Is that what it's going to take to get you to go to sleep?"

Raven sighed, and slowly began putting away the various scrolls and items that were laid out on the table. "Fine, you win this time, Garfield."

"Gar," he corrected her, offering her the crook of his arm to take once she had the scrolls tucked away and the candles blown out.

Raven snapped her fingers and a ball of luminescence was dispensed overhead in the air, showcasing the hollow of her cheekbones and the shadow of her long, thick fringe of lashes.

Carefully, she took his arm and they began walking out of the room, the glowing light following them and illuminating their steps forward.

"Man, I don't think I'm ever going to get over how you do that," Garfield admitted wistfully, admiring her handiwork. "It's amazing."

Raven flushed at the compliment, absent-mindedly using her free hand to brush her loose hair behind her ear. "Most people find it utterly terrifying, you know."

"Good thing I'm not most people."

"Says the man who can bend his shape to that of any living creature," she said pointedly.

He grinned at her as they went down the small corridor of stairs, the click of her heels echoing down the stone steps. "Yeah, but I can't conjure light out of thin air, and I sure as hell can't levitate at will, or teleport, or do any of the things that you can, really."

"It's better that you can't. Have you seen the amount of people who'd rather have me dead? I've been running my whole life, Garfield, and it's all because of the things that I can do, and who my father is. A normal life has always eluded me, and I'd wish my fate on no one, let alone you."

He gripped her tightly, bringing her closer to him. Garfield was merely being protective, but he knew that Raven disliked being treated like some dainty little trophy wife he felt obligated to guard. Yet, telling her that he truly cared for her well-being would have just earned him a scoff and an eyeroll. Some day, he'd hoped he could change her colder attitude towards him. During the good days, he almost thought he was succeeding, too.

"Normal is overrated, anyways," he informed her. "But, I for one, am glad to have you here, on _our_ side. I'm sure Starfire and Nightwing both feel the same way, Raven."

"I-I know that. Which is why I wanted to keep working…I want to help, to prove my worth, and not to just be a burden to everyone," she confessed with downcast eyes.

"You are _not_ a burden," he insisted.

Raven's bottom lip was quivering by the time they'd made it outdoors where the whole city slept. "You were forced to marry me over ridiculous, archaic rules and tradition, and yet you're still saying that I'm no burden?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders, steadying her exhausted form — somehow fragile and pale in the waning moonlight, despite being capable of the most destructive powers Garfield had ever seen.

"I already told you — I wasn't going to get married, anyways. There's no loss here for me, Rae," he reminded her, his voice a hushed whisper against the chirping of the crickets. "Stop beating yourself up over it, _please_."

She rubbed at her eyes — an impossible shade of indigo in the darkness of night — and clutched her cloak tighter about her throat. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's late, and I'd very much like to get to bed."

The tip of her nose was red from the chill in the air, and she sniffled.

Garfield wrapped his arms about her and pulled her in close before she could argue. "You'll catch a cold, and Kory'll have my hide for it," he sighed.

"For a cold?" Raven raised a sharp, inky black brow at him.

"You clearly don't know the Queen very well, do you?"

The witch groaned. "I think you're using Kory as an excuse to get closer to me, but have your way, Garfield. I'm in no mood for an argument."

"It's Gar, and who wouldn't want to get close to you? You're kind of a total bombshell," he added cheekily. "Who happens to be my wife."

Raven rolled her eyes. "You're insufferable," she muttered, but her cheeks were rosy with colour and she didn't struggle against his embrace as they walked to their quarters.

"But I'm growing on you, right?" Garfield waggled his eyebrows, trying to garner a laugh, or a smile, or even a twitch of her lips, to no avail.

Instead, she scrutinized him with an unblinking stare, and asked him, "How is it that you're the same man Kory claims to be one of her most elite soldiers, the same man who took out General Blood in hand-to-hand combat, and the same man that rescued Richard from torment at the hands of Deathstroke?"

"Uh," he paused, thinking carefully. "Would you believe it if I told you that I just get really, really lucky a lot of the time?"

Unimpressed, Raven, stated, "No. No, I wouldn't. I don't believe in things like luck."

She then shimmied out of his grip and strutted on ahead.

"I think I know a girl that might make you change your mind about that!" Garfield called out after her, but it was evident that she was no longer listening.

* * *

 **TBC (one day)**


	5. in-laws

_**In-Laws**_

 **Rated: K+**

* * *

"Could you get the door, please?"

It was perhaps the only thing Raven _could_ do to help her Aunt Alice on such a busy day. No one really hosted dinner parties back on Azarath, and even with the Teen Titans, Raven had never been particularly good at planning such events, let alone executing them. So, while her Aunt hummed a jolly tune to herself, enjoying the busy work the kitchen provided her, Raven had hovered nearby, unsure of what she could do to give Alice a helping hand. She'd always been a nightmare of a cook, with the tendency to burn almost any food item she touched. This thus left her the more trivial tasks that Aunt Alice could not get to while busy preparing the meals.

Such as, answering the door.

Raven straightened out her skirt, ran her fingers quickly through her long, dark hair, and took in a deep breath, practicing a normal smile to greet the guests that had been invited.

The doorbell chimed once more until she'd thrown the locks and carefully turned the golden knob. Swinging the door open, Raven prepared the smile, only to have it fall immediately upon recognizing the stranger standing outside her Aunt's house with a tin-foiled ceramic dish in his hands.

"Hey, Rae!"

Raven's eyes were wide as saucers, her already fair skin growing paler somehow. She quickly shimmied herself outside and closed the door behind her, getting into the personal space of the green, shapeshifting Titan who nearly staggered off the steps in surprise.

"Woah! What's going on?" he called out, catching his balance.

"What the heck are you doing here?!" Raven seethed, hoping to the mighty powers beyond that neither Alice, nor her husband Jack, could hear their voices filtering through the open windows.

Beast Boy cocked up an eyebrow, puzzled by her question. "What do you mean?"

She leaned in closer, so that she could practically smell the spice of his aftershave along his jaw, and whispered in a slow, calculated voice, "You're _crashing_ my Aunt's dinner party, Gar."

The shapeshifter glanced down at his attire — void of his classic white and red uniform — and then at the serving dish being balanced on the palm of his hand. "But I brought a casserole. People bring casseroles to these things, don't they?"

Raven leaned back, her brows drawn together in consternation as she blinked at him a few times. She studied his appearance for the first time that day, and took in his crisp, baby blue, cotton dress-shirt, tucked into a pair of ironed, beige slacks that were held in place with a deep brown belt and gold buckle. Tucked. Beast Boy _never_ tucked in his shirts, for as long as she'd known him. Unless the event was a formal one, of course. Otherwise, he claimed it went against his sense of style.

"Wait a minute…," Raven said, squinting down at the fancy, brown dress shoes on his feet. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the door behind her opened and Aunt Alice stepped out, still clad in her frilly, yellow apron, and sunny disposition.

"Garfield! You made it! Please, do come in!" she urged, opening the door wide and motioning for them both to step inside.

All the colour seemed to drain from Raven's face as realization dawned on her. "You invited him…"

Alice cocked her head to the side, fixing her niece with a dubious look, as if she were crazy to think she wouldn't. "Of course I did! It's about time your husband met his in-laws, isn't it?"

Raven swallowed the lump in her throat, but found her voice had abandoned her entirely.

"At least, he's the one with you in the newspapers all the time," Alice added over her shoulder, taking the casserole from Beast Boy's hands.

"Oh, Azar," Raven moaned, rubbing her hands down her face in mortification. This dinner party had suddenly become far more of a nightmare than she'd initially anticipated.

* * *

 **FIN**


	6. silently pining

_**Silently Pining**_

 **Rated: T**

* * *

He always knew where to find her.

Different planes of existence be damned, very little had been _different_ between them.

"It would be most unwise to sneak up on an enemy," she warned him icily, her back still to him. Even her voice was different to his ears. Somehow raspier, colder…and distant. If he hadn't known for certain it was her, he might have guessed she had a doppelganger.

The wind picked up and sent her ominous, dark cloak billowing about her silhouette. Somewhere below, in the distance, police sirens could be heard navigating the busy, traffic-ridden roads. Even this late, the city of Gotham never slept.

With a deep breath, and a steadying of nerves, he stepped out of the shadows, his fingers twitching at his sides in nervous anticipation.

So many ways he'd envisioned this meeting between them, so many nights he'd spent dreaming of their reunion, barely getting a wink of restful sleep as a result. It had all culminated to this point, and he couldn't help the overwhelming emotions that warred within him.

The last time he'd gazed upon that pale face — as peaceful and solemn as the waning full moon overhead — she'd been lost to him forever, his heart torn asunder by the gaping hole she'd left behind when she'd died.

He still ached at the sight of her, even if she currently was barely more than a shadow in the darkness of night, sitting on the top of such a high skyscraper, overlooking the bustling night life of the city below.

"I guess it's a good thing we aren't enemies, then," he finally spoke, his voice sounding shaky even to his own ears. The first words they'd exchanged, and he could barely contain his feelings for her, committing the encounter to memory almost immediately.

How long had it been since he'd heard her voice? Touched her? Pulled her into an embrace, and buried his face into the crook of her neck, where her sweet, intoxicating scent was always strongest? How long had it been since he'd kissed her lips, and tasted the minty lip balm she liked to use to keep them soft? Or tangled his fingers roughly in her hair in a fit of passion?

Gods, he _missed_ her — more than life itself; more than _breathing_. And yet, there she was, standing before him, as real as his own heartbeat, and still so untouchable to him.

"Wrong; anyone who _dares_ try to corner me — daughter of Trigon — in such a cowardly manner, is an enemy," she argued, malice lacing her otherworldly tone.

She turned on him quickly, before he had the chance to even consider her next move. Her hood flew off her head as she prepared her attack, angry fists glowing with dark energy and her cloak becoming a grappling shadow caught in the wind.

Her reaction was immediate, like a knee-jerk, and almost just as quickly, she appeared to _change_ at the unequivocal sight of him. Her hardened features seemed to soften, alight in their confusion and bewilderment as if her own sight lied to her in cruel jest. Her eyes — at first, glowing like amethyst stone in sunlight — flickered into a darker shade of violet and indigo. She'd been fierce and combat ready in the moment, until, of course, the moment she'd recognized him — discerned all that was familiar with him, and for the first time in almost a decade, he watched the ever aloof and stoic Raven, _break_.

Sadness, guilt, and an aching hurt riddled her expression, as common to her as the deep lines etched into her face. The anger had dissipated, leaving behind the shell of a woman who'd been victim to so much suffering, and had experienced an incomparable, ageless grief in her lifetime. There was so much sorrow in those glassy eyes — so much shattered hope in the way her bottom lip quivered, disbelieving. Both too young and too wise to appear so distraught beyond her years.

She was shaking and shuddering with it, and the formidable monster her father had somehow contrived out of the innocence she once possessed, fell away like a paper mask, revealing only the small, fragile human girl that had only ever wanted the pain to stop.

Raven fell to her knees in a flurry of her silken cloak, and it pooled about her legs like an ominous, black hole, sucking in all life and colour around her. She shook her head, once, and a single, searing hot tear rolled down the pallor of her cheek. "No…," she murmured with a gulp. "No, not another illusion, not now, _please_ ," she pleaded, her voice losing the edge from earlier.

She sounded, and looked, so young and lost in that moment — a girl barely entering her adult years, and having lost so much of her innocence at such a youthful age. All at the cruel hands of fate, and her undeserving father.

Beast Boy wanted nothing more than to run to her then, to pick her up and cradle her in his arms and to never let go, but he knew that the moments that followed would be critical in the aftermath. One false move, and she'd be lost to him all over again. It was not a risk he was willing to take, not when he recognized that look on her face, as if it mirrored his own reflection. It was like a stab in the gut, choosing to ignore his baser instincts, but he stood his ground and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Rae, it's me, it's really me. I'm not an illusion," he told her, his voice gentle as he carefully took a single step closer.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head furiously. "No, no, no, no, he's not real, he's not. He can't be. He's…he's _dead_ , he's been dead! I watched them _bury you_!" Tears were welling in her eyes uncontrollably, slipping down her cheeks to her chin, and she wiped at them angrily, furious with their existence.

"You're dead…You're dead…," she mouthed over and over like a mantra, rocking on the spot and refusing to look at him. The tears dripped onto her bare knees, sliding to the floor to be consumed by the obsidian of her cloak.

It tore at his insides, seeing her in such a state, and his own eyes stung with the tears he fought to conceal. She'd gone through the very same thing he had; losing her had been the end of his world, too, and he'd known it. Countless nights, he'd begged and begged some cosmic force to bring her back to him. Months and years he'd wasted searching for a way to bring her back, no matter the cost, only to wind up at a dead end every which way. She'd haunted his bedroom, haunted his halls, and haunted his mind, like an ever present ghost he more than welcomed. A reminder of his failure, to be added to the long list of others he'd loved and lost.

Beast Boy went to her then, falling before her helplessly, his own knees weak and tired. With shaking hands, he wiped at her cheeks, the tears cooling against his skin. She continued to refuse to look at him, her unflinching gaze fixated on a spot by her legs, and her mantra falling from her lips in a breathy, husk of a whisper.

"God, Rae, please. Please, you have to believe it's me. It's Gar; Beast Boy. I…I may not be from here, but I'm still the same guy. I'm still _him_." Tears were spilling down his cheeks, too, and his throat was dry and hoarse, as if he were choking on his own heart.

They'd warned him that she'd be in a fragile state if he went to her now. The others had even advised against it, saying her psyche was far too traumatized from the incident to ever be the same, but like hell he'd give up on her.

Like hell he wouldn't fight.

"I'm dreaming…this…this is a dream, a nightmare. _Oh, Azar, what have I done_?!" she wailed, and threw herself onto him, sobs wracking her body as she clutched his arms, her sharp nails digging into his flesh, and buried her face into his chest.

He held onto her, tightly, like he would lose her forever if he dared let go. He covered the top of her head with kisses, his tears falling into the silken strands of her dark hair as he cradled her. "I'm not going anywhere, Rae. I'm not losing you a second time, either," he cooed against her ear, rocking her gently in his arms.

"Garfield," she called his name, her voice hoarse from crying, and his heart swelled. He'd thought he'd never hear her say it again, and the emotion brought on a fresh wave of stinging tears to his eyes. "You…you don't know the things that I've done…How many I've _hurt_ ," she confessed into his tear-drenched shirt.

"I forgive you, anyways. I'll _always_ forgive you, Rae."

She grabbed at his shirtfront, taking fistfuls of the fabric as if she were going to tear it and take a piece with her. "I can't…I can't do this without you…," Raven moaned. Strands of her long, dark hair stuck to the sweat of her forehead, and the wet tears on her face. He wiped her hair back, soothing her with his touch. "You don't have to, anymore. Neither of us do. I'll go wherever you go, Rae. I'll follow you to hell and back, if I have to. Always."

He took her smaller, pale hands in his — both of them still shaking and overwhelmed by the emotion and shock of their circumstances — and placed a tender kiss on each knuckle.

Beast Boy could still hear her shallow breathing so intimately, from her fit of sobs, and he could feel the intensity of her gaze as she watched him unblinkingly. "Together," he said with finality, rubbing his cheek against their clasped hands, and closing his eyes in bliss. "Together, this time, I _promise_."

And it was a promise he intended to keep.

* * *

 **FIN**


	7. i never asked to be like this

_**I Never Asked to be Like This**_

 **Rated: T**

* * *

The stroke of midnight had always been an auspicious time of night for Raven. Her demon heritage could, perhaps, be blamed for attuning her to such superstitions, but it wasn't the paranormal that would be keeping her up so late these days.

Instead, she was greeted by a different sort of demon — one that was not her own, and most certainly one she'd least expected.

Beast Boy was tossing and turning next to her, the nightmares working him into a cold sweat, like they always did. Raven had been a light sleeper throughout most of her life, and even the subtlest shift in the sheets were enough to rouse her. At first, she'd thought them just dreams, and she did what any abiding, caring girlfriend would do for her rattled boyfriend — soothe him out of it.

She'd hold his head to her chest, and run her fingers through his hair, cooing into his ear as he rode out the night terror. He'd moan and fight against her touch, but his actions were weak — not up to his full strength when he struggled between the world of the living and the land of dreams. His skin was warm and clammy to the touch, and he'd shiver even beneath the thick comforter overtop, snuggling into her for warmth. Raven would watch the way his face contorted, grimacing, and she found herself feeling so utterly _helpless_.

By the time Beast Boy would wake up, he'd remain silent and still, too ashamed to even look her in the eye, let alone discuss what it was that had him so troubled when he slept.

Raven knew better than to pry; sensitive subjects were often best broached by a willing individual, and so, she would not press so long as he did not wish to engage in the conversation.

Nonetheless, she worried for him.

It didn't happen every night, but on the nights that he was indeed plagued by disturbed thoughts, she went through the motions with him, like clockwork, feeling more and more awful that there was nothing else she could do for him.

Until, that is, when an opportunity finally presented itself.

It had never been unusual for Beast Boy to sleep in, especially on the day following a particular nasty night terror. Often, Raven would busy herself until he did. She meditated, read a book, made tea, tidied up where she could, and even indulged in some required errands. Usually, by noon, she'd find him meandering about the apartment, rubbing the sleep from his half-lidded eyes, and pouring himself a bowl of cereal while still in his pajama pants.

So, Raven would wait, leaving him to rest for as long as he needed.

Until noon came and went without a single, floorboard creak echoing from beyond the closed bedroom doors.

By the time it was well into the afternoon, Raven had had enough, and impatiently closed her book, unable to focus on the story while her mind was obviously preoccupied elsewhere. Frustrated, she placed the old tome on the glass coffee table, and decided to brave the corridor leading to their sleeping quarters, determination setting her brow. Carefully, she turned the doorknob, not knowing what she would find waiting for her on the opposite side.

The curtains were still drawn, as she'd left them when she'd awoken at the crack of dawn, and the sun's rays were therefore hindered in lighting the room, casting an eerie, midday darkness all around the floor and walls through the canvas-like fabric. She found him sitting up in bed, knees drawn to his chest and his jaw cradled in the palms of his hands, staring off into the blankness of the white, linen sheets as if they held the answers to life's greatest question. Beast Boy did not appear to move, even at her subtle entrance. Raven stepped inside gingerly, on her tiptoes, as if afraid to disturb him despite knowing that she couldn't. She closed the door behind her and padded towards the edge of the bed, where she sat down next to him, observing with concern in her dark gaze.

The mattress shifted with her added weight, but Beast Boy continued to pay her no mind, as if she were a but a ghost, visiting. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the typically vibrant green of his skin seemed somewhat paler. There was a haunting gauntness to his expression, and it was almost like he was no longer there with her, lost in the world of dreams with eyes wide open — still glazed and paralyzed by a deep, bone-chilling fear. Raven thought he didn't look much different than a cowering, frightened animal, and the red in his eyes told her that he'd been crying.

Something within her ached, and she reached out for him with tentative fingers. "Gar?" she called his name, softly, hoping it would bring him back to her.

His eyes flickered in her direction, and he breathed in a bit of life. Beast Boy hugged his knees tighter, and tried to force a smile, for her sake. His lips were dry and chapped, and the smile barely reached anything more than a twitch of his mouth. Raven's hand found his, worry for his well-being consuming her. She squeezed his fingers — unusually cold in her grip. "Gar, what is it?" she probed, desperate.

Beast Boy returned his gaze to his lap, and appeared to be thinking, licking his lips in preparation for an answer. "I'm sorry," he choked out, after a brief pause.

Raven shook her head, shimmying closer to him on the bed. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

A bit of his self-deprecating humor returned as he chuckled coldly. "For this. For seeing me…like _this_. For having to put up with me…" He shook his head, and she could see the way tears burned behind his eyes, forcing him to squeeze them shut, like he was experiencing an excruciating, unimaginable pain. "You…you deserve better than me, you always have," he spoke, his voice throttled by the tears he refused to shed.

Raven's free hand found the side of his face, and she wiped tenderly at the wetness staining his cheeks. "Garfield, why are you saying this? Why do you even think that?"

Her empathy could not be helped — his sadness infected her, making her own eyes water, and her own throat constrict with the emotions he could not keep back. Beast Boy was shaking, all the muscles of his body working against his unrelenting urge to break down entirely. Raven embraced him, burying her head in the crook of his neck, her nose burning and searing hot tears rolling down her cheeks freely now. "Gar, please, please let me help you," she urged, rubbing his back and holding him close. Although she uttered the words, she was uncertain if there was anything she could do for him — but felt as if she'd turn the world around if he'd merely ask it of her.

Never in her life had she felt so much anguish — so much misery and self-hatred. She wanted to absolve him, but these were wounds so deep, not even her powers could hope to heal. These wounds were self-inflicted, and yet again, she felt helpless in her plight.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Rae." He repeated it like a mantra into her hair, shuddering beneath her touch but holding onto her like she was the last lifeline he had, keeping him afloat in a violent, frothing, stormy sea of his own making.

They stayed that way for some time, with Raven hushing him gently and sharing in his guilt-ridden pain, all the while he fell into her warmth, too embarrassed to show her his tear streaked face, and allowing them instead to soak through her clothes to her breast. She lost track of time, but eventually, the shuddering slowed and seized, until his breathing returned to normal, soft in the heat of the bubble they'd created.

When he did have the courage to move, she heard him sniffle, and wipe at his runny nose and eyes. Having gently pushed away from her, the cold air of the room chilled the wet stain his tears had left on her clothes. Raven wiped below her eyes, but her bottom lip still quivered from the after effects of the powerful, emotional wave that had hit her like a tsunami.

"How do you do it?" she whispered, her voice thick and more gravelly than usual. "How do you burden yourself with all of that inside?" She used a finger to point to the spot on his chest where his heart was.

Beast Boy wiped at the bits of dark green hair stuck to the sweat about his face. "I ask myself that question a lot sometimes, too. But usually, good distractions and bad jokes help keep me from losing my mind," he confessed dully.

Then, with a smile, he leaned over and pressed his forehead to hers. "Except, now I have you, too."

Raven felt something different from him now — a bubble of endearment, so distinguished in its chemistry from the emotions before, it nearly took her by surprise. "How? I…I barely did anything for you…I can't heal you."

Tears brimmed in her eyes again, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was because of Beast Boy's feelings, or her own this time. "I can't do anything for you, I've never felt so… _useless_ ," she moaned, her voice cracking at the end of her statement.

"Rae, you've done more than you could ever know." He clasped her hands in his, and brought them to his lips. "Just being here with me, being _you_. It's enough. It's _more_ than enough. Even when it gets bad — like today — you…you make it so much easier to weather. For a moment, I'm reminded I do have something good, something worth fighting for; another day, with you."

He smiled, genuine this time, and she couldn't help but do the same, even through the wet haze of her vision. "Will you ever tell me what you dream about?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, and glancing shyly down at the sheets about her bare feet.

"Mistakes," he told her freely, his tone void of emotion. "My mistakes, the people I've let down…The people I've lost because I wasn't good enough, fast enough, smart enough to stop it."

His eyes were downcast when he spoke, and he took in a deep, shuddering breath through his mouth before continuing. "I dream about their ghosts, telling me how alone I'll always be, how I don't deserve to live for what I've done. How everyone can't stand me or my awful jokes, and how useless I am to my friends."

"None of that is true, Garfield. None of it, and they'd never blame you. It wasn't your fault," Raven reassured him, knowing full well how weak her words were.

Nonetheless, he smiled at her, appreciative of her efforts. "I know they wouldn't, but my guilt is something I just have to carry with me, Rae. I don't expect you — or anyone else for that matter - to fix it, and that's okay."

"I know it might not mean as much right now," she replied, her expression softening, "but I love you, Garfield Logan. I love you so much."

This time, his grin reached his eyes, and a familiar shine returned to them, life sparking in his otherwise tired, battle-worn features. "It means _everything_ , Rae."

He kissed her then, long and deep and passionate, his hand cupping her face when she leaned into his touch, and unfiltered joy, love and calm slowly pervaded the atmosphere around them…

* * *

 **FIN**


End file.
